Work 40 some years, pay off the house, get the gold watch, sit back and collect the benefits of my 401K and social security, buy the waterfront condo in Florida and a daily routine of golfing/fishing and spoiling the grandkids. That was the future. Not scary, looked pretty good, couldn’t wait to retire. Then it all changed. 9/11? Katrina? Multiple major earthquakes and tsunamis? Threat of nuclear terrorist attack or war? EMP’s taking out the power grid and returning our society to the 1800’s? Comets or asteroid strikes? Droughts, floods, tornadoes, and other extreme weather events? Food shortages? Peak Oil? Political upheaval? Economic collapse and depression. What was your wake-up call that you were woefully unprepared for what lies ahead?

I have always thought of myself as somewhat prepared for anything type. I used a keep the pantry stocked with a few extra canned goods. And a few years ago, I bought a pre-packaged 72-hour kit for five people that came in a 5 gallon bucket, and a 50 gallon drum to store extra water. The kids would joke that Dad was ready for WW III and yeah, I thought I was ready for anything. There is a Filipino proverb; “the hardest person to wake up is the person that is already awake”.

When the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan this spring, it really gave me pause and I began to think about all the things that could happen in my corner of the world and how I would respond and survive. I became physically ill when I realized how woefully unprepared I was and I resolved at that moment to make the necessary changes to protect me and my family. Thus, my journey began.

There are a lot of surival and prepping blogs that I read on a daily basis. I learn something new everyday from each one. My intention for this blog is not to re-invent the wheel, but to pass along my experiences and the things that I have found useful in raising my level of readiness for what for me has become a very uncertain future.